SFSU Public Affairs Press Release

"Kinsey at 50" conference at SF State to be held Friday, Nov. 6

A panel of human sexuality experts will meet to discuss and reflect on changes in American attitudes about sexuality since the groundbreaking 1948 Kinsey report.

WHO: Scholars of human sexuality from across the country including preeminent sociologist John Gagnon, an original member of the Kinsey research team, will participate in the conference, which is sponsored by SF State’s Program in Human Sexuality Studies and will include discussion by members of the Social Science Research Council (New York) Committee on Sexuality Research.

WHAT: Two keynote speakers in the morning: John Gagnon of SUNY-Stony Brook (10:15 a.m.), and anthropologist Carol Vance of Columbia University (11:05 a.m.). Two panel discussions in the afternoon: The first (2 p.m.) about humanistic studies on sexuality; the second (3:30 p.m.) about science studies on sexuality.

WHEN: Friday, Nov. 6, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

WHERE: McKenna Theatre in the Creative Arts Building at San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave., San Francisco.

WHY: With a whole new spectrum of sexuality entering the public discourse—bisexuality, the rise of lesbian and gay movements, changing roles of men and women in intimate relationships—scholars believe that our society has reached a critical moment regarding the future of human sexuality. This conference will look at where current attitudes about sexuality stand, discuss what has changed in the 50 years since the Kinsey report, and explore the future of sex research in the next five years.

MORE INFO: If unable to attend the conference, reporters may contact SFSU Prof. Gilbert Herdt, conference organizer and chair of the Human Sexuality Studies Program, at 415/338-1343 for an interview the week of Nov. 9. Herdt is an anthropologist with more than 25 years of human sexuality research experience.